1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a chiropractic adjustor apparatus for use in a chiropractic treatment to apply vibratory energy or force to the human body and, more particularly, is concerned with a chiropractic adjustor apparatus having a housing configured to enhance heat dissipation from the housing and to provide symmetrical support of a force-transmitting shaft by the housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Chiropractic adjustments of the spinal vertebrae of a human body involve the application of pressure or force in a known manner directly to the human body by the hands of a chiropractor or by a chiropractic adjustor apparatus used by the chiropractor. Examples of such chiropractic adjustor apparatuses found in the prior patent art are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,890 to Bichel and U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,955 to Evans et al.
Another example of a prior art chiropractic adjustor apparatus is the one illustrated in FIG. 1. The apparatus of FIG. 1, generally designated 10, basically includes a housing 12 defining an interior cavity 14, a handle 16 on the housing 12 for gripping by the user, a trigger 18 reciprocally mounted to the handle 16 for actuation by the user, an electronic control module 20 provided in the handle 16 and activated by depression and release of the trigger 18, an elongated force-transmitting shaft 22 reciprocally mounted through the housing 12 and through the interior cavity 14 thereof, and an electromagnetic drive mechanism 24 disposed in the interior cavity 14 and connected electrically to the electronic module 20 and operable by the actuation of the trigger 18 and the return action of a compressible spring 26 disposed between a rear end 22A of the shaft 22 and a rear portion 12A of the housing 12 to cause the shaft 22 to transmit vibratory energy to the human body.
The electromagnetic drive mechanism 24 includes a spool 28 with electrical windings 30 stationarily supported in the interior cavity 14 of the housing 12 and a stator 32 mounted on the shaft 22 and disposed within a bore 34 of the spool 28 in an electromagnetically coupled relationship with the electrical windings 30 about the spool 28 such that depressing the trigger 18 activates the electrical control module 20 to apply predetermined pulses to the electrical windings 30 so as to actuate the stator 32 and thus the shaft 22 into repetitive reciprocal vibratory type of movement along a longitudinal axis A of the shaft 22 and relative to the housing 12.
The operation of the electromagnetic drive mechanism 24 creates substantial heating of the electrical windings 30 which, in turn, heats the portions of the housing 12 adjacent thereto. The buildup of heat must be dissipated from the housing 12 in order to prevent overheating of the handle 14 connected thereto and of the electronic control module 20 disposed in the handle 14. Unsatisfactory dissipation of the heat would make it uncomfortable and difficult for a chiropractor to hold onto the handle 14 for an extended period of time and have the potential to cause a malfunction of the electronic control module 20. A plurality of passages 36 are provided through the rear portion 12A of the housing 12 to facilitate passage and dissipation of heat from the drive mechanism 24 and housing 12.
However, the provision of the passages 36 through only the rear portion 12A of the housing 12 appears to be inadequate to handle the heat dissipation task. Furthermore, a forward portion 22B of the shaft 22 is supported by a forward portion 12B of the housing 12 substantially closer to the electromagnetic drive mechanism 24 in the housing 12 than the rearward portion 12A of the housing 12 which supports a rearward portion 22C of the shaft 22. This results in a substantially asymmetrical supporting relationship of the shaft 22 by the housing 12.
Consequently, a need exists for an innovation that will provide a housing configuration that will overcome the aforementioned problems of the prior art chiropractic adjustor apparatus without introducing any new problems in place thereof.
The present invention provides a chiropractic adjustor apparatus designed to satisfy the aforementioned need. The apparatus of the present invention has a housing with reversely-oriented, preferably conical-shaped, opposite end portions having passages adapted to enhance heat dissipation. The apparatus also has a force-transmitting shaft which is substantially symmetrically supported by the opposite end portions of the housing in relation to an electromagnetic drive mechanism disposed in the housing.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a chiropractic adjustor apparatus which comprises: (a) a hollow housing having a central interior cavity and a pair of opposite end portions oriented substantially the reverse of one another and extending in opposite directions from the interior cavity, the opposite end portions each having passages adapted to enhance heat dissipation from the housing; (b) an electromagnetic drive mechanism mounted in the interior cavity of the housing; (c) a force-transmitting shaft extending through the drive mechanism and opposite end portions of the housing and reciprocally supported by the opposite end portions of the housing, preferably in a substantially symmetrical relationship to the drive mechanism; (d) an arrangement for actuating the drive mechanism to cause repetitive reciprocal vibratory movement of the shaft along a longitudinal axis thereof and relative to the housing; and (e) means attached to the housing for gripping to hold the apparatus.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention.